Population explosion projected

Burton Speakman

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, October 1, 2005

The Houston-Galveston Area Council conducted a workshop Friday morning at the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center to allow local residents to provide input on future planning that will be used to create models on the area's growth.

The H-GAC covers a 13-county area, including Montgomery County. It is a voluntary association of local government and elected officials that specializes in long-term planning.

By 2035, 70 percent of the Houston area will be new growth, said Harrison Rue, executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.

There will be 1.4 million new households and 1.5 million more jobs, he said.

"For Montgomery County, we're projecting new jobs will stay around the center cities," Rue said.

The population will expand throughout the county, and people still will live pretty far from their jobs, he said.

"I want you to think about how you want our region to grow over the next 30 years, said Alan Clark, metropolitan planning director for H-GAC.

Montgomery County has one of the highest qualities of life in the area, he said.

"With success comes the interest of other people to live in the area and the challenges of handling that growth," Clark said.

County growth is expected to create the need for 700 new schools and 10 new hospitals over the next 30 years, according to County Judge Alan B. Sadler.

"I think we need three (new hospitals) right now," Sadler said. "This area is one of the most dynamic high-growth areas in Texas."

Estimates right now have the county growing at a rate of 5-6 percent per year, Sadler said. "We never know the exact percent until the next census."

One of the first issues the county will have to deal with is the water supply, he said.

"I think that's a problem we'll begin to see in the next five years," Sadler said. "Planning is easier said than done. We need to plan considering the political realities of Texas."